George Miller won't direct any more Mad Max movies... wait, what?

Over the last year George Miller, creator and director of the Mad Max franchise, has fielded hundreds of queries concerning a follow-up to Mad Max: Fury Road. The majority of his responses have remained curiously noncommittal, with Miller explaining his desire to shoot a small, indie-type movie before considering a definite return to the Wasteland. While talks of another filmmaker taking the reins on the next instalment have so far been the stuff of rumor, it looks like there might be some truth to them.

"I won't make more Mad Max movies," Miller tells Page Six. "Fury Road... was forever getting completed. If you finish one in a year, it's considered a leap of faith. Start, stop, start again. I've shot in Australia in a field of wild flowers and flat red earth when it rained heavily forever. We had to wait 18 months and every return to the US was 27 hours. Those Mad Max-es take forever. I won't do those anymore."

This is certainly a change of tune for Miller who recently discussed potential storylines for the sequel with the studio, and even referenced the likelihood of Furiosa's return. So, why the sudden shift? Well, the report doesn't provide any context for his comments and it's so far the only publication to confirm the quote, so fans should definitely wait before getting too upset.

However, it's not a huge surprise - if it's true - that he'd want to hand over control to another director. It's no secret that the Fury Road shoot was lengthy and troubled at times. If the prospect of making another is too daunting for Miller, the question is: who'd be the perfect candidate to take over?